Arts & Entertainment

Richard Kincaid, Northbrook's Newest Soul Singer

The Kansas native and accomplished businessman has been singing since he was two, but gave it up in college to pursue his career.

Richard Kincaid, 51, is your typical, Northbrook professional. He has a wife and two kids, he's started a few companies over the years and now serves on the committees for several foundations. And every so often he books a recording studio to make soul music. 

"It's not the straightest path to be in the music business, but it worked out for me," Kincaid said. 

A Northbrook resident since 1995, Kincaid grew up in a very small Kansas town, earned a bachelor's at Wichita State University and an MBA at the University of Texas. 

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In 2001, Crain's Chicago Business profiled Kincaid for a 40 Under 40 list of influential, corporate leaders. They didn't mention his singing though.

When asked when he started singing, he responded, "My mom would tell you at about two."

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As a boy, his parents would drive him to a nearby town to study voice at a small community college. But when Kincaid reached Wichita State, he decided to put his voice to rest.

After that, Kincaid went onto to forge an impressive corporate resume for himself, moving to Chicago in 1986 and starting a family.

Apparently the tune never fully left him, and the singing break ended in 2010 with the release of a covers collection called Return, marking his debut in the world of adult contemporary music. 

"We were looking for great songs that we could do something with to make them something new," Kincaid said, emphasizing the importance of his vocal potential in choosing songs. "You're not going to see me doing hip hop."

Kincaid has been hard at work ever since. A year later, he released a Christmas album called Magic Holiday, and most recently Mosaic, a mix of covers and originals written with the help of his producer, David Taylor.

All of Kincaid's recordings are available on his website, www.richardkincaidmusic.com, with a few music videos on his YouTube channel as well. 

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